1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to service-based systems and, more particularly, to dynamically modifying such systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Service-based software systems utilize an architecture that facilitates the linking of resources in an “on-demand” environment. In general, service-based software systems are configured in accordance with a specified standard. As such, these systems also can be referred to as standard-based systems. Within a service-based system, resources are made available to applications over a network as independent services. These services can be accessed by applications in a standardized way. A service-based architecture provides a more flexible, loose coupling of resources than traditional system architectures.
Despite the advantages of a service-based system, a significant amount of time and effort is required to develop such a system. Generally, a service-based software system is planned, coded, and tested extensively. With successful testing, the system can be deployed to a user base. Deployment refers to the process of ensuring that the system executes properly in the target environment. Deployment typically includes tasks such as installation, configuration, execution, further testing, and implementation of any needed changes to the system for use in the target environment.
The resulting system is intended to satisfy a set of functional and non-functional requirements. Once deployed and in operation, any changes to these requirements necessitate redevelopment of one or more portions of the system. This process can be both time consuming and costly as redesign usually requires further analysis of the system architecture, further testing, and ultimately redeployment.
As service-based architectures continue to evolve, so too has their complexity. System development and redevelopment now require more time, skill, and knowledge on the part of software developers, thereby adding to the overall cost of system development and redevelopment.
It would be beneficial to be able to modify the functionality of an existing service-based software system while avoiding the disadvantages described above.